Fate's Fortune
by FatesFortuneWriter
Summary: What do you wish for? Revenge? Love? Destruction? Well, your wish can come true if you look hard enough. Follow Ryu and a whole bunch of characters as they embark to find the Seven Treasures of Creation, which will grant one person their desire.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Ship in the Sky

"And when the seven treasures shall reveal themselves, the one who gathers them will be granted a wish by the Gods." The priest, dressed in a white robe with a red sash around his neck, shit the red leather bound book. It had golden embroidery making a square on the cover and in the center, was a single gold circle with a red gem in the middle. The word 'Sacrae' was written in gold lettering across the top. He stood at a wooden altar with a white tablecloth over it and there were numerous candles burning around him. Behind him, there was a stained-glass window of several people surrounded by a light. In the center of a light was a single orb. It seemed that the people in the stained glass window were fixated on the orb. The priest held up the red book in the air with two hands. He stared out at the rows of people in front of them. They were all kneeling, heads bowed. Their clothes, unlike the priest's, were tattered and ragged. Their faces were smudged with dirt and they seemed to be unhappy. The priest began to speak. "The Gods are here to give us hope, here to show us the truth, to show the path that humanity will take." He raised the book higher in the air. "Let's give thanks to the Gods! To the Time God, Orukos! To the Sky Goddess, Araniah! To the Storm God, Arakratos! To the Soul God, Neranos!" He continued listing the Gods and Goddesses until he had named all of them. When he was done he put the red book down and put one hand up in the air. "Let the Gods be with you."

"Let the Gods be with you." People replied, a little half-heartedly.

The cathedral was a small white building that had a tower sticking out of the top and a bell was ringing. People were filing out of the cathedral, trying to get on with their day. Some kids were running around, chasing each other, and playing tag. A small gray dog scurried after them, although it was bony and you could see its ribcage. I was among the people; after all praying was required for everyone to go. I, much like the people around me, was dressed in raged clothing. I wore a gray t-shirt that had been worn more times than washed and green pants that were a little short on me. My sneakers had holes and my brown hair always had bed head. Around me, there were little clay houses that were now being filled by the people who were leaving the cathedral. The clay houses were a staple to Suskern. This little town was in the dead center of Nowheresville. We lived in the middle of the desert, where the coldest it ever got was 75 degrees, and that's if we're lucky. The sun always seemed to beat down on this little town. Despite it being in the middle of nowhere, it was populated by a lot of people. However, if we were all crowded together, it would be a tough time to find someone. Like now, I was scanning the crowd for Shirou. Shirou was my adoptive father and, despite only being 14, he gives me a lot of freedom. During praying sessions, the kids were split from the adults. It was what the priests required, saying that the kids had to learn early that the way of the Gods was the way to go. I scanned passed a couple of people when I finally found Shirou.

Shirou, like I said, is my adoptive father. The only thing we have similar is the brown hair, but he keeps his in a buzz cut. He had a fat nose with a brown goatee. He wore a black t-shirt that was covered in grease stains and brown pants with a white rag hanging out of the pocket. You see, Shirou is the owner of the local bar, the Suskern Diner. It's the diner that everybody likes to eat it, mostly because it the only place in town with a television. Besides that, the food was affordable, which is what everyone needed. He was walking with Harley. Harley was the bartender at the Suskern Diner, however he did more flirting and drinking rather than actually doing his job. He had blonde hair, olive colored skin and was always dressed in a bartender's outfit. He was the talk among the girls, and he liked that. I walked towards them, shuffling through people.

"Oi! Ryu!" Shirou called, raising a hand.

I shuffled around a couple and then stumbled up to them, nearly knocking some people over. It was tough getting through the crowd.

Harley snickered. "You're such a klutz."

I glared at him, ignoring the comment. "Shouldn't you be working the bar?"

Harley ignored me and watched as a beautiful girl, dressing in some short shorts and a t-shirt that was a little small, walked by. He followed her, ignoring us.

"I still don't get why you hired him." I muttered to Shirou.

"Eh, he brings in some business." Shirou replied. Harley disappeared in the crowd.

"I guess we should head back to the bar, huh." I said, turning around.

"True, I don't want the kitchen raided again." Shirou turned and we headed back towards the bar.

The bar was near the center of town and was a small square building that seemed squashed between two clay houses (and the families in those houses seem to complain…..a lot….). The roof was mangled and we had to put tarp over some holes. The sign that read 'Suskern Diner' was placed in the front window and a 'CLOSED' sign was on the door. Shirou took out some keys and unlocked the door.

The inside was in a little better shape. The tables were hand-me-downs from other local bar and pubs that had to close down, so there was an assortment of different size, color and types of tables. Up front, there was a counter with a couple of bar stools that were different, like the tables. On the back wall were rows of glasses and dishes and a door that lead back into the kitchen. Shirou placed the white rag on the counter top.

"Hey, can you go back and get food ready for the lunchtime rush." Shirou said.

I nodded and ran back into the kitchen. The kitchen was a small gray room that had two freezers, two ovens and a counter, all hand-me-downs too. There were rows of pots, pans and cooking utensils on the wall. There was one window in the back that lit up the room. At night, we would use the ceiling light. It was a single bulb that hung from a length of chicken wire. The bulb would sometimes blink or wouldn't turn on at all. However, I don't have to worry about that until it gets really dark. And even then, the light from the main room would still light the kitchen.

I walked over to the stove and put a pan on top and turned it on. I began heating food for the lunchtime rush. Pretty soon, the place would be packed with people who would be hungry. The idea of school had ended a long time ago, so kid's days were free. They usually hung out around the bar, hoping to get some free food. Shirou usually gave them some, but they tend to come back.

Whenever I began cooking food, the smell reminded me of my old home. I hated my old family-er, actually I hated my father. He was the head of the Vendetta family, the financial leader in the entire country, Apogeus. Apogeus takes up ¾ of the entire Earth and is an empire ruled by the demonic King Rayleigh. He and my father are really close- guess evil minds think alike.

I stopped and put my hand on my head. _'Don't think about that life. That life is over, now you have this life.'. _I nodded to myself, knowing I was right. If I wanted to be free, I had to stop living my old life.

I stopped cooking, when I realized there was a weird buzzing noise in the air. It sounding like a hum, faint and low, then it grew loud and the pots and pans began rattling. I quickly shut off the stove. I went to the main room, and nobody was there. Everyone, including Shirou, was outside, staring up at the sky, mumbling.

"Okay, not an earthquake." I muttered to myself and ran outside. People were pointing up towards the sky. I ran out and looked up, and was shocked to see what was there.

Up in the sky, there were numerous blue fighter jets guarding the Avian. Imagine a battle ship that looked like a giant cruise liner with two orange cannons sticking out of the side. That was the Avian. Plastered on the side of the airship was the symbol for Exercitus. It was a solid black figure that resembled a Knight Chess piece with a solid black crown hovering over its head.

Exercitus is the King's royal army. They were usually his guards and always fought for him. The Avian was his majesty's airship. I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan of King Rayleigh, but he usually had awesome battleships.

I could understand why people were disturbed, though. Whenever the Avian took flight, it meant something was happening, and most times it isn't a good one.

"Sir, we are currently flying over the isolated town of Suskern." The pilot said. The Avian was a giant system and required a whole section of Exercitus to run. The inside was decorated just like the King's castle. The first floor was the control center, where everything involving the Avian took place. The second floor is the rooms and cafeteria. Everybody eats there, except for the King, who eats in the ballroom. That would be the third floor, where the King hosts balls and other events. Below the ballroom are more maintenance and other Avian-related equipment. The two cannons were known as the Canis Cannons, which can penetrate anything.

The cockpit, however, is where you'll find the most activity. There, the operators are checking on the Avian and other gages and watches. The cockpit's walls were all bullet-proof windows, so the operators were able to get a 360 degree view. The only time there wasn't glass was a little strip of wall that held the elevator. A red carpet started at the front of the cockpit and it led to the back, up a few stairs, to a gold throne. A man sat in the thorn, wearing a gray suit with a blue cape. He had brown hair that came down to his shoulders and pale skin. A small brown cane with a jewel on the end leaned against the side of the throne. He had one arm on the armrest and he propped up his other with his elbow. He leaned his head on his knuckle, in a bored position.

"Fine, let's just get over this hick town. I want to reach the Limestone Palace soon." He sighed. "I can't believe we went all the way there, just for it to be a failure." He frowned.

"I'm sorry your highness, but our researchers were skeptic about the area. It had shown significant historical activity." The operator replied.

"No worries, Rayleigh." A man said. He was leaning on the wall at the back of the room, near the elevator. He had long blonde hair that, believe it or not, seemed to be crackling with electricity. He was muscular and had no shirt on, but had brown pants. He wore a black belt with two black straps that went over his shoulders, making an X formation on his chest. He wore black combat boots and two gold wristbands. He walked over to King Rayleigh. "We already have the Amber Dove, we're one step ahead of the others. We just have to make sure we find them first."

"Tonitrum…." King Rayleigh muttered. "I am a King. I need everything, and I need it now. Don't try to convince me that I can just sit around, waiting, until those stupid treasures reveal themselves."

Tonitrum chuckled. "Well, you'll just have to be patient."

King Rayleigh sighed. "Patience…..that's something a King shouldn't need."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Terracotta Ruins

All of us watched as the Avian sailed over us, blocking out the sun a little. It sailed right over us, ignoring our existence. I stared up at the giant airship, mesmerized.

_"The Avian….." _I thought to myself. _"I hadn't seen that since….since the day my mom disappeared." _

I looked over at Shirou, who was just as mesmerized as me. He doesn't know that I'm the son of the Vendetta family head, nor do I ever intend on telling him. If anyone were to find that out, I'd be an outcast, most likely killed.

Shirou's seemed different, though. He seemed more shocked than most of the people, who at this point went back to their regular activities as if nothing ever happened, and was paralyzed.

"Hey…Shirou?" I asked.

"It couldn't be….this feeling…..is it the treasures..…no…that's not possible….." Shirou was muttering to himself.

"Hey? Shirou? What feeling? What treasures?" I replied.

Shirou seemed to snap out of a trance and looked at me. "Oh…sorry Ryu." He turned around and went back into the bar. "I'm gonna shut the bar up for the rest of the afternoon, with this whole event and all." He walked into the bar and shut it, flipping the closed sign.

I was going to stop him, but I decided not to. Despite everybody not being bothered by this whole event, Shirou was, for reasons unknown. I decided to leave Shirou alone for a while, so I began walking to the library.

The Suskern Library was the quietest place in town, and I often read when the bar became too noisy. The library was owned by the Triton family. Zabrina Triton and her little brother, Scrath Triton were good friends of mine. While Zabrina was my age, 14, her little brother was around 9 and they looked a lot alike. They both had jet black hair, Zabrina's long and Scrath's short, with pale skin and dark brown eyes. It's really obvious that they're related.

I came up to the library, a large, brown building with a dome on top. It was one of the nicer buildings of Apogeus, however if you looked more closely, its still in bad shape. There were patches and holes in the dome (which Zabrina claims that they trying to put in a window in the ceiling, but they just never got back to it), and the building side was cracked and broken. A couple windows were shattered and one of the doors was missing a handle. As I was walking to the door, it opened and Zabrina walked out.

Today, she had her black hair tied up in a ponytail and wore a white t-shirt that didn't cover her belly button, and blue short-shorts with sneakers. Like mine, they were dirty, but in more decent shape. She smiled and waved at me.

"Hey, Ryu!" I said 'hi' back and I asked her about the Avian.

"Who didn't see it." She replied. "I mean, the thing is so frickon huge."

I smiled. "Right." I walked into the door of the library. "Hey, I have a question for you."\

"What?"

"Have you ever heard about a treasure of any kind?" I asked, remembering that Shirou had been muttering about it earlier when the Avian passed by.

"Hmm…." Zabrina put her finger on her chin, as if she were trying to act like she was deep in thought. "You mean the Seven Treasures of Creation?"

I thought about it for a moment and I had to say, it fit. The Seven Treasures of Creation are in the Sacrae (the holy book that the priest was using). It is said that these seven treasures were created at the beginning of time, and that if they were ever all brought together, they will form and will grant the person who brought them together one wish. To avoid any random person finding these, they were scattered in all exotic, hard-to-find places. Of course, they wouldn't want it to be too easy either. They 'they' are the Gods and Goddesses. When the Gods were born, so were the treasures, however an unfortunate event (although it was never found out what that event was) caused the Gods to scatter these treasures.

Zabrina snapped her fingers in my face. "Oi! Ryu! Are you even listening."

I shook my head to shake off the trance. "Sorry, no."

She sighed in annoyance. "I said, why don't we try to find if there's something here in the library."

"Oh, right." I replied.

The library was filled with bookcases, but there weren't enough books. And the books weren't in good shape either. Some had the covers torn off, pages missing, some were even unreadable. They were scattered across the shelves and were never in order. However, that just made the hunt more fun.

Zabrina pulled a book of a shelf. "The Biography of King Rayleigh….hmph" She tossed the book aside. "He's not even dead yet."

I pulled a set of books off the shelf and scanned through the titles. One was a dictionary for kids….no…..another said 'The History of Colors'….no….another read 'Mysteries'. I picked that one up and opened it. I scanned through the pages. There was nothing in there. I tossed it aside, a little annoyed.

"What're ya doing?" A small voice asked. We turned to see Scrath staring at us-well, at all the books on the floor. I looked down, realizing that we would have a long clean-up ahead of us. Scrath picked up a book with his small, pale hands. He wore a green t-shirt with white shorts and, of course, they were dirty.

"We're looking for something, so go play outside or something." Zabrina said, taking off some books. The shelf broke and all the books fell on top of her.

Scrath and I took some books off of her and helped her out.

She rubbed her head and stood up.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Fine." She replied, a little hesitant.

"Hey, what's that?" Scrath pointed. On the top shelf, there was one book that was still there. It was connected to the wall, as if it were still on the shelf. It was almost as if it were _stuck _there on the wall where the shelf had been. I grabbed the book. The spine was orange and a red gem was on the center. The cover and back were yellow and had an identical red gem on it. I yanked the book and it came loose. At the same time, the bookshelf fell down.

"Gah! I-I didn't mean to do that." I replied, dropping the book.

Scrath picked it up and opened it. He began flipping, page after page. "There's nothing in here."

I looked down and he was right. There were only blank white pages. No words, no pictures. I looked at where the bookshelf had been and there were now a set of stairs.

"Oh no no no no no." Zabrina said. "We are not going down those stairs. There are probably a bunch of bugs down there." She shivered.

"Oh come on, what could be down there? It was sealed for years." And at that moment, a bat flew out, screeching.

Zabrina screamed and ran down the stairs, away from the bat.

"Well…..at least we don't have to convince her anymore." Scrath said following her. I nodded and followed him into the little cave. The bookshelf reappeared behind us, sealing us in darkness.

Scrath grabbed my wrist. "I don't like this."

Zabrina screamed at the bottom of the steps.

"Zabrina!" Scrath shouted and ran down the stairs. I ran down after him.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a small room with three exits at the end. The bottom was tiled with white tiles that were covered in dirt. On the walls, torches lit up the path. Zabrina was in the center of the room, legs shaking. She was looking up.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

Zabrina pointed a shaky hand up at the ceiling.

I looked up, and I almost peed my pants. Almost.

Up on the ceiling, there were bones, _human_ bones. The bones were literally stuck to the ceiling. They hung from the ceiling, dangling.

"How did they get there?" Zabrina muttered.

"Come on, let's take move on." I said. Zabrina took a step forward and something clicked. I yanked her back as the tile in front of her lift into the air, slamming into the ceiling. After a couple seconds, it fell back down.

Zabrina screamed.

"Guess we know how they got up there." I muttered.

"What exactly is this place?" Scrath whispered.

"The Terracotta Ruins." Zabrina said.

"Terracotta Ruins?" I asked.

"Legend has it that Suskern was built on ancient ruins that hadn't been touched in thousands of years." Zabrina said. "The ruins were used for things such as praying and offering, but the world progressed and the practices were forgotten. Eventually, the ruins eroded away. This is what left of them."

"Well, now what?" Scrath asked. "I mean, we can only go forward."

He was right. In front of us, there were three different paths with Gods know what is at the end of them. Plus, there could've been more traps, and we didn't want to end up like the skeletons in the ceiling.

"I guess….we go down the center one." I shrugged.

"You guess!" Zabrina shouted.

"You have any other idea?" I asked.

I turned back towards the three exits, and then noticed on the adjacent wall there was an inscription. I looked at it.

"There are two ways, black and white, take neither, for it will be not right."

"I say right, it says so right there." Zabrina pointed.

"Why can't they just tell us which path to take." Scrath complained.

I stared at the inscription. "Zabrina, you should've just trusted me in the first place."

"You mean we go straight?" Zabrina asked, doubtful.

"Yes." I replied.

"How do you know?" Scrath asked.

"Because it says so." I smiled. "Black and white are opposites, right. Just like left and right."Zabrina." I whispered.

"Yeah, so?" Zabrina asked.

"Oh, I get it!" Scrath exclaimed. "Black and white represent left and right, and it says don't take them, so the only one left is the center path."

"Yes." I replied. Scrath and I headed to the center path.

Zabrina, annoyed, followed them.

The path narrowed down and it grew darker as the torches on the wall became sparse. There was a little bit of light at the end of the path, and it seemed to be brighter than the room before.

I put my hand on the wall, feeling my way through.

"I hope it's an exit." Zabrina muttered. "I've had about enough of this place."

Scrath moved in closer to the two of us.

"Almost there." I said.

Zabrina stopped.

"What?" Scrath asked.

Zabrina screamed and ran by us.

"Wha-Zabrina?" I called.

"EW! GET THAT STUPID SPIDER OFF OF ME!" Zabrina shouted, running down the tunnel.

"You're kidding me." I muttered, chasing after her.

At the exit, Zabrina had stopped. She screamed again.

"What is it now?" Scrath complained. We both ran up and stopped behind Zabrina.

The room was square and bigger than the first room. There were torches all around, lit up, and there was still a lot of dirt on the floor. On the back wall was a picture of a heart. The heart was gold and in the center was a red gem. Surrounding the heart were rays, sort of like a sun. The rays stretched from the heart to the end of the wall. The colors alternated from yellow to orange and back to yellow. But the weirdest thing was the stone sarcophagus in the center of the room. The top was off and there was a young girl in the coffin. She had blue hair the color of the sky and wore a white dress that came down to her knees and she was barefoot. She had a red rose grasped in her hands. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale.

I cautiously walked forward.

"What are you doing?" Zabrina whispered harshly. "That is a corpse!"

"But don't you think it's weird." I said.

"What's not weird about this place?" Zabrina replied.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" I asked.

Scrath and Zabrina looked at each other and shrugged.

"If these are ruins, that like you said, haven't been touched in one thousand years." I turned and pointed at the walls. "Then why are the torches lit?"

Scrath looked at the wall and Zabrina opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She knew I was right. It was weird. Those torches would've been out if they hadn't been touched in millennia.

"So, it means somebody else was here not too long ago." Zabrina said.

"Not only that, but it was recent. Very recent. Maybe within the last couple hours, maybe days." I replied.

"So, then there's another entrance?" Zabrina asked.

"But there were no other doors besides the one we came through." Scrath pointed out. It was true, there were no other exits besides the entrance.

I turned to Zabrina. "Were there any weird visitors recently? You know, ones that came in, but sort of disappeared?"

"No." Zabrina said. "Besides you, nobody else has come to the library. People have more things on their minds than reading nowadays."

I crossed my arms and turned to the corpse. "If the torches don't prove it, then maybe the corpse will. She still has all of her hair and skin, so she has been placed there recently. It proves that someone else has been here recently." I walked up to the coffin and there was something odd in front of the sarcophagus. It was a little stone bird with bright blue gem eyes. I knelt down. The bird looked like a blue jay, but was cracked and a little piece had fallen off. I placed my hand on the bird and its eyes began to glow.

"What are we going to do?" Scrath asked.

"There's nothing else to do, she's dead." Zabrina said. She looked back at me and her eyes bulged. "Or…..not…."

I looked up from the bird and realized she was right. The girl was now sitting upright in the coffin, staring straight ahead. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, sky blue. The rose had fallen to the ground and she blinking.

Zabrina screamed and Scrath backed up a little. I jumped up and stepped backwards.

The girl turned to us. "Who are you?"

I tripped and fell my mouth agape. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I was too shocked. Like I said, I nearly wet my pants. Nearly, though.

"I-I'm Scrath. This is my sister, Zabrina and that's Ryu."

Zabrina hit him in the head. "Don't tell the zombie our names!"

"Zombie?" The girl asked. "I'm not a zombie."

"Yes you are! We just saw you come back from the dead!" Zabrina shouted.

"Dead?" The girl chuckled a little.

"Who are you?" I said in a weak voice.

The girl chuckled. "I'm the Sky Goddess, Araniah."

Nevermind. I just wet my pants.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Seven Treasures of Creation

I stood up and stepped back slowly. It wasn't possible. This girl was Araniah, _THE_ Araniah.

"You're sure you didn't hit your head or something?" Zabrina asked.

A gust of wind rushed by me. It flew by Zabrina. Shocked, she fell to her knees, looking up at Araniah.

"That answer your question?" Araniah smiled.

"What in the world…." I muttered.

"COOL!" Scrath shouted. He ran up to Araniah, smiling. "Can you do that again?"

Araniah got out of the coffin and leaned down and smiled. "I could whip up a hurricane for you."

"I don't think that's necessary." I said. Rain would be good for the city, but not that much. I pushed Scrath behind me, and he groaned in annoyance. "How long have you been here?"

"I'm not so sure myself." Araniah said. "What's today's date?"

"May 4th." I responded.

Araniah looked up at the ceiling. "Year?"

"X855." I responded.

"Hmm….so its been about 300 years." She said nonchalantly. She stuck out her hand and a small blue jay landed on her finger. It cleaned its wing and then cawed.

"That bird…." I muttered. "It looks like…." I looked down and the stone bird with the blue eyes was gone….no, it had turned into that bird…

"What's its name?" Scrath asked.

"Synnefo." Araniah smiled. "It means 'Clouds'."

Scrath held out his finger and Synnefo flew onto his hand. It nudged Scrath.

Araniah chuckled. "It seems to like you."

Zabrina slowly got up and walked up next to me. "What do we do?"

"We can't just leave her here." I said.

"300 years ago…." Zabrina frowned. "Then…"

"Ah." I replied. "If it wasn't her, then who was here? Who lit the torches?"

"True." Zabrina said. "And more importantly, why haven't there been any more booby traps."

I turned to her and realized it was true. The only booby trap we came across was the blocks in the front. So….why haven't there been any more…

"Was somebody else here recently?" I asked.

Araniah stared at us. "Not that I know of."

"Did you light the torches?" Zabrina asked.

Araniah narrowed her eyes. "I've been in a slumber for 300 years. I seem to remember my assailant blowing them out as he left."

"Assailant?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know the identity of my assailant, however he was skilled. He managed to destroy all the traps in this place, save the one in the front room."

I nodded. So it was her assailant that destroyed the traps. The thing is, nobody would be able to do that….unless…..

"Your assailant was a God?" I asked.

The three turned to me. Araniah opened her mouth. "Yes…how did you know?"

"Just as guess." I replied. "But, why are you here….what exactly _is_ this place?"

"As for why, my assailant brought me here for a goal that I do not know. I believe that this place is called the Terracotta Ruins." Araniah smiled.

I frowned. She seemed to have an answer to every question. "So….now what?"

"What do you mean?" Araniah asked. "Aren't you here for the Hunt?"

"The Hunt?" I asked.

"Yes, the Hunt, for the Seven Treasures of Creation?" Araniah asked.

I blinked for a second, and Zabrina and I looked at each other nervously.

"You mean you don't know?" Araniah asked. "When you touch Synnefo's stone, you are my partner."

"Partner? For this Hunt? And I'm guessing I'm supposed to look for those treasures." I replied. "Nobody even knows where they are."

"What if I told you that you won't need to look?" Araniah smiled.

I opened my mouth and then shut it.

"The Treasures will reveal themselves, we just have to wait until then." Araniah said. "Besides, I happen to know that somebody already has one of the treasures."

"You do?" I asked. "Who?"

Araniah gave a glance at Zabrina and Scrath. "Sorry, I'm only allowed to reveal that information to my partner and nobody else."

Zabrina narrowed her eyes.

"Oi, Zabrina, can you and Scrath…."

"Fine." Zabrina said. "But I'm coming back if she tries anything." She turned around and she and Scrath left to go to the front room.

I turned back to Araniah after they left. "Before you tell me about that treasure, I want to know what do you mean by partners?"

Araniah frowned. "You don't know anything?" She sighed. "When a human touches Synnefo's stone, and it glows, it means that we are compatible. For a God or Goddess to exist in this world, they would need a human partner. Of course, once all seven treasures have been gathered, you will be able to get your wish granted." She began walking behind the coffin, her hand gliding on the side. "The treasure found was the Amber Dove, the most valuable treasure in history. Like the name implies, it is a dove made of pure amber. The story goes that the Amber Dove was a token of friendship among two families. However, the pact between the two families was said to have been broken, and the Amber Dove was the cause, because both families wanted the dove and began stealing it from one another. Eventually, it got into the hands of the Gods. However, one God had taken the dove and offered it to his human partner." Araniah stopped and turned to me. "Have you ever heard of Palgias?"

"The Ancient Land of the Gods." I replied.

"Yes. Palgias is like an alternate universe to this one, where the Gods dwell. Like I said, for a God to exist in this world, we need a human partner. The Seven Treasures were created in Palgias and stayed there until the Amber Dove was stolen. When it was stolen, the other treasures migrated to the human world. Even I wouldn't be able to tell you where they are."

"So, we're just supposed to wait until these treasures reveal themselves?" I asked.

"Well, one has already appeared." Araniah smiled. "The Mariner's Heart has revealed itself, near what you humans call Habishimi Lake."

"Habishimi Lake….." I looked at her. "I assume the other Gods told you this?"

"Yes." Araniah replied. "There are many other Gods here. You seem to be sharp, Ryu."

"Wait, you know my name?" I asked.

"Yes. When you touched the stone, I got every piece of your memory." She smiled. "Everything about your past, your present, your feelings, your resentment."

I grimaced _"She knows…..everything….."_

Araniah smirked. "Of course, I won't tell anybody about it."

"For now….I trust you." I said.

"Good. Now let's get out of here. We have a treasure to find." She said. She and Synnefo (forgot it was even there) walked towards the exit.

"Wait." I said.

She turned around.

"You never told me who the other person was…the one who found the Amber Dove."

"The Amber Dove was stolen around 300 years ago and given to a powerful family of your country….Apogeus, I believe. Many Gods left around the time the Amber Dove disappeared, so I'm not sure who stole it, however I do know that it is in possession of the Albus family. Of course, all this happened right before I went to sleep, so I'm not entirely positive that its all true now." She stopped. "Ryu, you okay?"

I was breathing heavy and my palms were sweaty. I couldn't believe it.

The Amber Dove…was in possession of our own King Rayleigh Albus.

"You're sure?" King Rayleigh asked. The Limestone Fortress' throne room was as big as the Avian. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the throne itself was huge. The back reached to the ceiling. A red carpet covered the floor, reaching the far end of the room. Soldiers lined up on the side. Next to the King's throne was a pedestal with a glass case on top. Inside was the Amber Dove, a deep orange sculpture with a dove stretching its wings Tonitrum, still dressed in black pants and a gray belt with black combat boots, leaned against the wall.

"Yes, I'm positive." Tonitrum said, smiling. "Would I lie? The Mariner's Hearth as revealed itself. Habishimi Lake."

"Habishimi Lake…." King Rayleigh stood up, smacking his cane against the ground. "And how do you expect us to get there? Nobody knows where Habishimi Lake is, if it even exists!"

"Oh yes, it exists." Tonitrum chuckled. "We just have to find it."

"Fine. Get the Avian set up. We'll be leaving within the hour."

"Uh…sorry, but that won't be necessary." Tonitrum said. "We'll be taken the Land Rover."

"The Land Rover?" King Rayleigh asked.

"Yes. It will….be sufficient enough." Tonitrum smiled.

King Rayleigh frowned. "I may be the King, but don't tell me what to do."

Tonitrum cracked a laugh. "So we are taking the Land Rover?"

King Rayleigh turned to a soldier. "Get the Rover ready."

"Yes sir." The soldier saluted and walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Adventure

"Amazing!"Scrath exclaimed. "You knocked down that wall with a gust of wind! It was awesome!"

Araniah looked down at Scrath. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

To be honest, I was a little shocked too. With a whisk of her hand, Araniah was able to whip up a wind that knocked down the entrance to the underground ruins. It was pretty neat.

Zabrina crossed her arms. "I still can't believe you're a goddess."

Araniah smiled. "Right, girl."

"My name is Zabrina."

Araniah ignored her.

"So, I assume we have to set out for Habishimi Lake soon."

"If you want the treasure, yes." Araniah said. I was about to ask her why she didn't say Mariner's Heart, then I realized we weren't allowed to tell outsiders, a.k.a Zabrina and Scrath, about it.

"Oh, a journey." Zabrina said. "Can I go."

"No." Araniah said coldly.

Zabrina crossed her arms. "Why not."

"Its none of your business." Araniah responded.

"Zabrina," Scrath tugged at her arm. "Mom wants us home soon."

"Fine." Zabrina said, half-heartedly. The two said good-bye and left.

As they were leaving, I caught Araniah staring at Zabrina and Scrath, with a confused look.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah." Araniah replied. "Anyway, are we setting out soon?"

"Yeah, I guess." I said. "Just let me get back home first. I wanna say good-bye to Shirou and Harley."

"Ah, yes, Shirou and Harley….I managed to gather some information about them." Araniah said. "Harley Piper, 22, lazy but loves women. Shirou Draco, 43, adoptive father and owner of the Suskern Diner."

I nodded in amazement.

"Yeah, let's go meet them." Araniah smirked.

Somehow, I knew things weren't going to go well…..

"O ho ho ho." Harley smirked. "Ryu brought home a girl! Ryu brought home a girl!"

"Shut up." I said, pushing him.

"Harley Piper. I've heard so much about you." Araniah said.

"Oh, I am pretty popular among the girls." Harley said, smiling.

"Yeah….." Araniah smiled.

"Where's Shirou?" I asked.

"He's in the kitchen." Harley said. "Why, you wanna show him your new girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." I insisted.

"That's what they all say." Harley chuckled.

"Funny. You're popular with women, yet you sound like one." Araniah smiled.

Harley narrowed his eyes and walked away.

"Let's just go back and see Shirou." I said. We walked back to the kitchen, where Shirou was coming out.

"Harley, who are you harassing now?" Shirou asked in annoyance. He came out holding a tray of food. He turned to see me and Araniah. His eyes bulged, he gasped and dropped the tray of food.

"Uh…hi." I said.

Shirou picked up the tray and looked at us. "Ryu…a word, please."

Araniah and I began walking to the kitchen.

"Uh-uh, not you." He said, pointing to Araniah. She seemed okay with it and stayed outside.

Inside the kitchen, Shirou had stuff on the stove. He set down the tray and turned to me.

"Why is she here?"

"She? You mean-" I started.

"Yes, why is Araniah here?" Shirou asked.

"W-Wait, you know who she is?" I asked.

Shirou was hesitant and then he finally uttered "Yes".

"How?" I asked.

Shirou hesitated and then pulled over a chair. "Sit down Ryu."

I followed and he sat across from me. He sighed, rubbing his temples. "It…it was no coincidence that I became your foster father."

I leaned in. Shirou never talked about stuff like this before.

"I…I was a friend of your mother's." He said. "I…When I saw you, I took you in because I knew your mother would want me to."

My mother. That word always got me thinking of my life back with my real dad. It had all changed the day my mom disappeared.

"Did she tell you anything before she left?" Shirou asked.

"No." I said. "She told us she was leaving for a short vacation and left. I haven't seen her since."

Shirou sighed. "Ryu….did Araniah talk about the Hunt?"

"Yes." I replied.

Shirou seemed nervous. "Ryu…your mother….the reason she left all those years ago was because _she_ set out to look for those same treasures."

"Did she find it all?" I asked.

Shirou sighed. "No."

"You mean….is she….dead." I gulped.

Shirou sighed. "I haven't heard anything from her. I know as much about her whereabouts as you do."

I looked down.

"Ryu…..if you really want to go with this girl…to go on this wild goose chase…..I'm fine with it." Shirou got up. "But don't blame me if you end up dead."

I looked up, but he had turned his back.

"He's right." Araniah said, walking in. "If you end up dead, don't blame it on him."

"I thought I told you to stay outside." Shirou said, not turning around.

"Some odd way to say hello, to someone who saved your life." Araniah smiled.

Shirou didn't turn around.

"Wait….I thought you said you've been sleeping for the past 300 years." I asked.

"True, however my soul has been walking on this Earth." Araniah explained. "A while ago, I ran into your mother and Shirou and ended up saving their lives." She smiled. "Maybe I'll tell you the story someday."

"Tell me now." I demanded.

"Now is not the place." Araniah said. She turned around and began to walk out. "Now get ready, we're leaving."

"Now?" I asked.

"Yes. Most likely, the other Gods have already departed. I wish to get the Mariner's Heart." Araniah said. Synnefo, who has been perched on her shoulder the entire time, was nudged her neck.

With a backpack slung over my shoulder, and still in tattered clothing, I headed out of the Suskern Diner. I turned around and looked at it. I wasn't going to see it for a while. I kind of like it, with its lopsided roof and broken windows.

"Come on, Ryu, let's go." Araniah complained.

The people from inside the bar were crowded around, waiting for Araniah and I to leave. Some wanted to see us off, while others just wanted us to leave so they could go back to eating.

"Listen kid." Harley said. "There are a lot of women out there in the world and a lot of them are hot." He handed me a card. "Give them this, and tell them that Harley'll be here waiting for 'em."

"Yeah…." I said, pocketing the card.

"And good luck, on wherever you're going." Harley smiled. "You and your girlfriend, that is."

"Shut up." I replied. I turned and saw Shirou in the background. He seemed unhappy, but still waved at me.

"Ryu…time to go." Araniah said.

"Right." We began walking ahead, when someone called my name.

I turned around to see Zabrina and Scrath running towards us.

"Oi, wait." Zabrina said, out of breath. She handed me something. It looked like a dog tag with a dragon on it.

"Uh….thanks." I said, putting it on.

"It's a good luck charm." Zabrina smiled.

"It took a long time to make it, so try not to lose it." Scrath smiled.

Araniah stared at Zabrina.

"I guess this is good-bye." Zabrina said.

"For now." I replied.

I hugged Zabrina and Scrath and I turned around.

"Let's go." I said to Araniah. I walked by her, but she didn't turn around. "Araniah?"

"This aura….." She muttered. "Girl-"

"Its Zabrina."

"Zabrina…." Araniah grabbed her arm. "You're going to come with us."


End file.
